NYT:
Representative William Delahunt, Democrat of Massachusetts, was speaking by phone Friday about the decision of his colleague Patrick Kennedy not to seek re-election in Rhode Island. In doing so, Mr. Delahunt, who has yet to say whether he will seek re-election himself this year, might have signaled a hint about his own future.
“He went through a process that all of us in public life go through,” said Mr. Delahunt of Mr. Kennedy. “Honestly, I am going through that process myself.”
Mr. Delahunt, who has served in Congress since 1997, said he would announce whether he would seek re-election in March.
Delahunt, as you may know, occupies a district that Obama won by 55-44 in 2008, Kerry by 56-43 in ’04, and Gore by 54-39 in 2000. Yet Republicans view his seat as their ripest pick-up opportunity in the state after Scott Brown handily carried the district last month in the state’s special Senate election. Republicans actually have a bench to choose from here: ex-state Treasurer Joe Malone has begun polling for the race, and state Rep. Jeffrey Perry is already in.
For the Democrats, there has been some buzz about Joe Kennedy III swapping himself in, but that’s yet to be substantiated as anything more than idle chatter at this point.
RaceTracker Wiki: MA-10
(may be- the only one) districts in Massachusetts, where real struggle can be expected. Even now, with Perry running and Hedlund and Malone considering, it would be more difficult for Delahunt then usually. And during last cycles he got accustomed to getting token opposition only…
opened the door to probably the most contested election cycle Massachusetts Dems have faced since 1994. The GOP is putting up aggressive challenges to Governor Deval Patrick, and Congressman Delahunt’s seat.
Hell I could see Martha Coakley facing a tough reelection if the GOP are able to line up some wealthy lawyer against her. Her approval ratings have to be in the gutter ever since that disaster called her senate campaign. She also melts like butter if she actually has to campaign. But that’s all speculation at this point.
A questionable internal poll comes out showing Delahunt might have a fight, and now he’s talking about retiring?
Probably a coincidence, and there’s worse places for open seats to pop up, but still…
Why would he pass up a Senate seat and run for the House?
Why are so many of our Congresscritters being such wimps? Hitting the exits because of a tough political fight is cowardice and well, totally contradictory to how being involved politics works to me. Im in it to beat the Republicans and a Congresscritter retiring because of a possible tougher fight is just absurd to me, you should want to give your party the best shot!
And Brown’s election should only say one thing, even in our usually favored district, this is not the year to be lazy. If Coakley had campaigned throughout, it probably would have been a different story. Brown worked harder for it, period. And in this climate, that can’t happen.
How about instead of retiring Delahunt, you just work for it? Hitting the exits instead of doing it the old fashioned way (campaigning) is silly.
Is Delahunt’s district the wealthiest in the state? I’m assuming so since it’s the Cape.
Otherwise not good news to lose an entrenched incumbent this year in this district. Especially given I never believed that leaked internal Republican poll to begin with.
She’s the professor accused of murdering 3 of her colleagues yesterday in Alabama.
She “accidentally” shot her younger brother and she was released after a telephone conversation with former district attorney William Delahunt
Malone is a has-been, the highlight of whose political career was when his trusted deputies stole tens of millions of dollars from the Massachusetts treasury.
Perry is a smart politician and strong campaigner, but I think he’s bitten himself off a little more than he can chew. I doubt a hardline Cape Cod conservative like him will play well in the more moderate, metro-Boston towns in the northern half of the district.
The one candidate who could make this race top-tier is, in my opinion, State Senator Bob Hedlund of Weymouth. He’s also a strong campaigner and a proven vote getter in the metro-Boston part of the district, but also has a very moderate/libertarian reputation. Having held a Dem-leaning State Senate seat since 1994, and facing opposition almost every two years since, Hedlund would know how to hold his own.
Hedlund, however, is still deciding whether or not to enter the race. No timeline has been given for his decision making process.